“This is the only program that Disney Institute brings to the local business community,” said George Aguel, senior vice president for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and leader of the Disney Institute, in a news release. “Participants from the Springfield area will discover Disney practices that they can incorporate into their own businesses. These strategies and tactics have proven successful for more than 50 years.”

The program comprises four 90-minute sessions:

Leadership–Disney Style highlights how effective leadership at Disney has been a catalyst for employee and customer satisfaction. Participants will see how Disney leaders exhibit values and behaviors that lead to bottom-line results.

Management–Disney Style examines the necessity of integrating corporate culture into employee selection, training and care, and looks at ways Disney fosters a supportive environment for employee pride and ownership.

Service–Disney Style delves into Disney principles for service excellence, with emphasis on leveraging a service infrastructure and service standards to consistently exceed expectations.

Loyalty–Disney Style highlights practices that have enabled Disney to build and sustain loyalty for its brand. Participants will uncover ways to create relationships to help retain customers for life, as well as techniques for delivering a brand promise.

In one of its first moves since IAC's split into five different companies earlier this month, flagship IAC on Sept. 16 will launch its own virtual world aimed at tweens called ZwinkyCuties.com.

IAC is no stranger to the virtual-world business. The portal is a spinoff of Zwinky.com, a two-year-old site aimed at teenagers that claims more than 16 million registered users globally and six million unique visitors per month.

Visitors to virtual "hangouts" like Zwinky Cuties interact using video game-like representations of themselves, called avatars, that they create and customize. They then congregate in virtual public spaces where they can socialize, shop, and play casual games.

John Park, president and CEO of IAC's consumer applications and portals division, said the company decided to launch the younger brand after it began turning away thousands of users who attempted to register for Zwinky, but didn't meet the site's age requirement of at least 13 years old.

There's no shortage of media names vying for an audience of girls aged 6-12. Disney bought kids' virtual world Club Penguin last year for a reported $350 million. Toy brands like Barbie and Bratz have launched their own virtual worlds, too, as have companies like Webkinz.

"In the real world girls always love to play with dolls and dress them up and have play sets. We're trying to bring that experience in the online world," added Mike Primiani, senior VP of strategic partnership and product operation at IAC.

Media companies are plowing money into the virtual-world space across the board.

Time Warner and Sony have both made undisclosed investments in Gaia Online, a Web-based social community aimed at teenagers, which has raised over $20 million since its launch in 2003.

And Viacom's MTV Networks has developed dedicated virtual worlds for popular shows like "The Hills."

Consulting firm eMarketer estimates that more than half of all Internet-connected kids and teens between the ages of 3 and 17 - some 20 million in all - will visit virtual worlds by 2011, up from 34 percent, or 12 million, this year.

IAC doesn't break out the size of its virtual-world business, but said it generates revenue from sponsorships, ads and search revenue on top of virtual commerce. Gaia, for instance, claims to generate over 100,000 transactions a day and over $1 million in revenues per month - over half its revenues.

But Zwinky Cuties, like Club Penguin, will be a subscription-based service, charging users $5.95 per month for virtual currency that can be used to collect online accessories, fashions, furniture and pets for their avatars.

That's different than Zwinky.com and other more teen-focused sites in which users purchase virtual currency on an a la carte basis using credit cards and PayPal accounts.

The race is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. The course will take runners through Disney’s California Adventure to Disneyland Park, and then onto the streets of Anaheim, past the Honda Center, along the Santa Ana Trail, around Angel Stadium, and back through California Adventure and the Downtown Disney.

From noon to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 am to 6 p.m. Saturday, the Disneyland Hotel will host the Disneyland Health and Fitness Expo. Manufacturers, experts and pro runners will host seminars on nutrition, training and racing.

On the morning of the marathon, the following roads will be closed…

Disneyland Drive: between Ball Road and Magic Way, midnight to 8 a.m.

Disneyland Drive: between Magic Way and Katella Avenue, 3:30 a.m. to 6:45 a.m.

Magic Way: eastbound from Resort Road to Disneyland Drive 3:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Katella Avenue: westbound from Disneyland Drive to Harbor Blvd, 5:15 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Harbor Boulevard: southbound from Disney Way to Katella Ave, 5:15 a.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Ball Road: eastbound from Disneyland Drive to Anaheim Boulevard, 5:15 a.m. to 8:10 a.m.

Anaheim Boulevard: northbound from Ball Road to Cerritos Avenue, 5:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.

Cerritos Avenue: between Anaheim Boulevard and Lewis Street, 5:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.

Lewis Street: between Cerritos Avenue and Ball Road, 5:30 a.m. to 8:25 a.m.
Ball Road: between Lewis Street and State College Boulevard, 5:30 a.m. to 8:40 a.m.

State College Boulevard: between Ball Road and Cerritos Avenue, 5:30 a.m. to 8:55 a.m.

Cerritos Avenue: between State College Boulevard and Douglass Road, 5:30 a.m. to 09:05 a.m.

Douglass Road: between Cerritos Avenue and the Honda Center, 5:30 a.m. to 9:10 a.m.

Gene Autry Way: westbound from Angel Stadium to Santa Cruz Street, 5:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

South Anaheim Way: between Standford Court and Katella Avenue, 5:30 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.

South Anaheim Way: between Katella Avenue and Haster Street, 5:30 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.

Disney Way: westbound from Haster Street to Harbor Boulevard (Timon entrance), 5:30 a.m. to 10:05 a.m.

I-5 Freeway, northbound: on/off ramp at Katella Avenue, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

I-5 Freeway, southbound: on/off ramp at Harbor Boulevard, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

I-5 Freeway, southbound: on/off ramp at Disney Way exit, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Burns joined Disney Studios as a set and prop painter for the Mickey Mouse Club television show in 1955. One of her major contributions was the Mouse Clubhouse that she helped design and build. She arrived at the studio each day wearing a skirt and high-heel shoes to work a lathe, saw and drill press.

During her initial years on the job, Disneyland was under construction. In addition to set designing, Burns got an assignment in the model shop, crafting miniature prototypes of park attractions.

Her department of three model-makers was known as WED Enterprises and later renamed Walt Disney Imagineering, a reference to the imagination and engineering that go into theme park attractions.

Disney included her in several episodes of The Wonderful World of Color, the 1960s television show on which he was the host and presented behind-the-scenes segments about his empire.

One of Burns' first assignments in the model shop was to work on Sleeping Beauty Castle, an attraction that was in place on the park's opening day, July 17, 1955. She later worked on the original Pirates of the Caribbean that opened in 1967, and the Haunted Mansion that opened two years later.

Part of her job was "figure-finishing". She applied face paint and other touches to the costumed mannequins that are part of many Disneyland attractions. Years later, she said that one of her most challenging projects was the exotic birds she helped to craft for the Enchanted Tiki Room that opened in 1963.

"When they breathed out, it would be fine, but when they came back they scrunched. They looked like they had mites," Burns said in a 2005 interview. She worked out the problems and later maintained the birds as they aged.

"Good enough was not for Harriet; it had to be perfect," said Blaine Gibson, a former animator and sculptor at Disney who worked with her.

Burns was also part of the team that created several Disney attractions for the New York World's Fair in 1964, including "Great Moments with Mr Lincoln", which later was installed at Disneyland.

Born Harriet Tapp in San Antonio and reared in Seguin, Texas, she earned her bachelor's degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

She married William Burns, and in 1953 they moved to Los Angeles with their baby daughter. She went to work at Dice Display Industries Co-operative Exchange, making props for television shows and sets for Las Vegas floor shows. She also worked on the Santa's Village theme park that opened in Lake Arrowhead in the mid-1950s. When the company closed, a colleague told Burns Disney was hiring.

"She got the job, and things mushroomed," Burns' daughter, Pam, said of her mother's career. "She liked being around the creative spark, and Walt took her under his wing."

RoboDZ is coming soon to Disney XD, the channel formerly known as Toon Disney. The re-branding is part of an effort to appeal to male viewers with a lot of superhero cartoons, including Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series. There's also a new series that's intriguingly (if weirdly) titled Hero And Not. And then there's a live-action show called Aaron Stone, about a kid who gets recruited to be the real-life counterpart of an online crime-fighter. (Wha? Okay.)

She wasn't alone in wanting some fun time with her children and grandchildren at the planet's most ambitious and most popular amusement parks. We, too, were among many multi-generational families who trek to Orlando each year to join 47 million other people who jam Walt Disney World's four theme parks -- Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom.

With our daughter, her husband and their two boys ages 6 and 8, we settled into the lushly landscaped Polynesian Resort (one of 20 Disney-owned properties on site) to see if our stamina could match our determination to keep up with the youngsters and enjoy as much of the 110-square-kilometre park as possible in five days. We asked for and obtained connecting rooms, a definite advantage with little ones.

The Disney monorail is a major convenience for guests staying at the Polynesian, the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary resorts. We took it to the Magic Kingdom, opened in 1971 as the original attraction and still the heart of the Walt Disney World complex. On the busiest days of the year (between Christmas and New Years and around Easter), upwards of 90,000 people a day visit the Magic Kingdom, but May (when we were there) and the fall are much better choices, with just 30,000 visitors a day. Even on the busiest days, Disney's clever Fastpass system (where, at no cost, you get a ticket for the most popular attractions enabling you to return at a specific time for priority boarding) makes long waits a rarity.

We ran into several other multi-generational families at the Magic Kingdom, including Lonna and Doug McKay of Calgary who travelled to Walt Disney World with their four children, spouses and five grandchildren.

"Walking in here was very emotional," Lonna McKay said. "I've often thought it would be awesome to bring the whole family here and we finally realized we could do it." Doug McKay added that the biggest challenge would be to make sure all 14 of them had a good time and that nobody got lost.

Other families agreed that the key to a good time was advanced planning and a slow pace. As one Toronto area grandfather told us, "We're here to relax and enjoy our grandchildren. Wherever the kids want to go, we go."

We read several Walt Disney World guidebooks for their recommendations on what to see first and what to avoid (the most useful book we found was the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World). The best advice in all of them was to start early, head for the most popular attractions before the park filled and then take a noon break back to the hotel for lunch, a swim and some quiet time. As the crowds started to thin in mid- to late afternoon, head back to the parks.

On the first two mornings, we took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom just as it opened at 9 o'clock. Trying not to show our years (and our growing timidity with fast rides) we joined our grandchildren on the two major Frontierland adventures: Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Then to Adventureland and the venerable Pirates of the Caribbean boat ride with its swashbuckling adventures (now updated to include Capt. Jack Sparrow in several scenes). In Tomorrowland, our eight-year-old grandson was keen to experience the Magic Kingdom's top attraction, Space Mountain, a fast and dark indoor roller-coaster.

We deferred until he and his dad emerged with a huge grin and said, "Let's do it again!" and grabbed John's hand. John kept his eyes closed throughout, fearful of a heart attack.

One Disney feature we all enjoyed was Mickey's Philharmagic in Fantasyland. This was a zany 3-D movie (we wore special glasses) starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in which objects pop out of the screen and special effects (fake smoke, sprinkles of water, various odors) assault the audience. All four theme parks at Walt Disney World have brilliantly conceived 3-D movies, but this and It's Tough to be a Bug in Animal Kingdom were our favorites.

On the first afternoon, we headed to the Disney Hollywood Studios (using the efficient Disney bus service) where the grandkids had a ball at the imaginative Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground (bugs and plants are giant sized). Later we joined 10,000 other guests in a huge outdoor amphitheatre for Fantasmic, a spectacular mixed-media show starring Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Lasers, fireworks, flaming water and amazing special effects (images are projected on a wide spray of water) contribute to a dazzling 25-minute show.

Epcot, the second Disney theme park in Orlando, still draws huge crowds to its unique combination of education, entertainment and World's Fair ambiance. On our second afternoon, we all enjoyed a wonderful meal at the Morocco pavilion (including entertainment by a belly dancer) and took in two new attractions -- Mission: Space, a realistic flight simulation to Mars, and Soarin', an airborne tour of California with Imax-quality images projected all around your hang-glider. Great fun for all ages.

Ten years ago, Walt Disney World opened its newest and most intriguing theme park, Animal Kingdom. With more than 1,000 live animals and exotic replicas of African and Asian architecture, the park combines nature trails, outback excursions, formal gardens and thrill rides (including a high-speed roller-coaster through a realistic looking Mount Everest). We broke our noon-nap rule and spent all of one day there and could have easily stayed longer.

The family highlight at Animal Kingdom was the Kilimanjaro Safari, a 25-minute truck ride through a realistic African landscape. We saw giraffes, hippos, tigers, elephants, crocodiles and many other species in their "natural" habitat. There are also several walking trails where animals are easily spotted and guides answer any questions.

Part of our last day at Disney World was spent in one of its two huge water parks, where the grandkids and the parents enjoyed the slides and tube rides. After a noon break, we headed toward a section of the park called Downtown Disney, where Canada's own Cirque du Soleil built a permanent theatre to perform La Nouba, described by many as the best show in Cirque du Soleil's repertoire. Combining drama, humor, circus thrills and emotion, the 90-minute performance mesmerized young and old alike.

Looking back on the five days in central Florida, we realized that a three-generation visit to Walt Disney World is an ideal plan. Not only do grandparents get to spend quality time with their children and grandchildren, but there's usually someone to watch over little ones while parents and older kids enjoy the more challenging rides.

Both Baby Mozart and Baby Beethoven have been digitally and audio re-mastered, and will feature a “Together Time Tips” bonus feature narrated by Julie Clark, where parents will have the opportunity to view useful tips and tools on how to make DVD viewing an interactive and engaging experience for their children. From singing songs to crawling, wiggling and jumping around, “Together Time Tips” encourages parents and little ones to participate in the fun together. Moms and babies can also experience the Discovery Cards bonus feature, which now includes corresponding sounds to the real world image presented on screen. Finally, an in-depth retrospective bonus feature with Julie Clark and her two daughters will highlight key milestones over the last decade from Clark’s perspective including insights into the conception of Baby Einstein, Clark’s initial vision for the brand and the overwhelming success of the company.

“Ten years ago, I couldn’t have imagined how widely used and loved Baby Einstein would become – especially since I created the first title simply to enjoy with my own baby,” explains Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein. “This anniversary marks a significant personal and professional milestone for me and I continue to be thrilled, overwhelmed and humbled by how many parents and children around the world have enjoyed Baby Einstein. I’m very excited about the special edition release of these DVDs, as I feel like the new features get to the heart of what this brand is all about: interacting with young children while exposing them to beautiful music and imagery.”

Baby Mozart and Baby Beethoven special edition titles will feature packaging with a new look and a commemorative silver anniversary seal on the exterior packaging. The Baby Einstein Company is the award-winning creator of the infant media category and best-selling brand of DVDs for infants, from birth. As with every Baby Einstein DVD, the special edition Baby Mozart and Baby Beethoven DVD titles feature multi-language viewing options including English, Spanish and French. Available at major retailers and online, the suggested retail price is $19.99 for DVD. Baby Mozart and Baby Beethoven are recommended for children aged three months and up.

About The Baby Einstein Company

As an elementary school pupil, he won a pair of national Hallmark card contests with his depictions of jungle animals and a knight and dragon celebrating birthdays.

As a prep school student at Blair Academy in Blairstown, he was the go-to guy when it came time to draw caricatures of teachers or design T-shirts for the big annual showdown with rival Peddie.

The unwavering path toward Connor's dream of becoming an animator has taken him this summer to the House of Mouse.

The 22-year-old college student from Blairstown was accepted into the highly competitive summer undergraduate associate program at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif. The 10-week internship, which concludes Friday, gives students hands-on involvement in the film-making aspects at Disney.

It's the equivalent of going to guitar school and finding out your advisor is Professor Eddie Van Halen.

Speaking from California last week, the personable Connor said he was in awe when he arrived at the famed studios. He described it as "like walking behind the stage of your favorite animated show."

"This is where a lot of your childhood memories were produced," he said. "And you're running into some of your favorite idols every day."

Look over there, it's Glen Keane, animator of "Tarzan." And John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Wait, that's Eric Goldberg, the man behind the memorable Genie in "Aladdin," one of Connor's early Disney favorites. And there's Mike Gabriel, director of "The Rescuers Down Under."

Connor is focusing on a story that involves drawing scenes in sequential form as if it were a comic book.

His first assignment was drawing story boards of characters Pongo and Roger from "101 Dalmatians." He was given a scenario in which Pongo had to visit the veterinarian but didn't want to go.

"It's really interesting," said Connor, entering his senior year at CalArts, the California Institute of the Arts. "You grow up with characters like these, and you are trying to get in their mind and figure out how they work."

He was assigned mentor Mark Walton, who provides the voice of TV-obsessed hamster Rhino in the upcoming Disney animated feature, "Bolt," starring John Travolta.

"He's a great mentor -- really funny, too," Connor said.

The son of Margaret and James Connor (Blair Academy's history department chair), Benton Connor has followed a straight path -- or rather, a straight line drawn by Sharpie -- to his dream of becoming an animator.

As a youngster, he was always sketching pirates and monsters. He has a fondness for drawing flawed but optimistic, funny characters with goofy mannerisms. When approaching a story, he likes coming up with characters who find themselves in bizarre situations yet have humanistic, relatable elements.

In airports, behind sunglasses, he still likes to sketch caricatures of unsuspecting people.

Connor, whose ultimate goal is to create his own animated TV show, learned at Disney that even the top animators constantly change their ideas as they go through the collaborative process.

"There's always something you can work on as an artist -- nothing is perfect," he said.

Disney STEP Classic

WFtv - On Friday, August 29th, the Walt Disney World Resort will quake as the first annual Disney Step Classic kicks off at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. High School and College Step teams will compete for top honors at this inaugural event.

The event is presented in conjunction with the MEAC/SWAC Challenge will include a pre-event celebration at a Disney Park and two tiers of competitions. The two tiers include college and high school step teams. The event is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA) and will be open to the public with tickets available for purchase in advance.

Walt Disney World alone gave more than $56,000 worth of goodies to the Republican Party of Florida between April 1 and Aug. 21, the final reporting period before tomorrow's primary election. The gifts included theme-park tickets, hotel rooms, meals and other entertainment, according to election reports. The gifts allowed the Republican Party to host a mid-June dinner and fundraiser featuring Gov. Charlie Crist at Disney's Contemporary Resort.

Disney also gave -- though not quite as generously -- to the Florida Democratic Party. The records show Disney handed the Democrats just under $9,000 in freebies, most of it in the form of theme-park tickets. 

Universal Orlando, meanwhile, gave just under $1,400 worth of tickets to the Florida Democratic Party. And SeaWorld Orlando-owner Anheuser Busch gave $900 in golf tickets to the Democrats.